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Sunday, 4 July 2010

Yemen says northern rebels not complying with truce

Source: ReutersBy : Mohammed Ghobari & Tamara04\07\2010The Yemeni government accused Shi'ite rebels in the north of the country Sunday of not complying with the truce agreed in February, Yemen's official news agency said.The government of the impoverished country reached a truce with the Houthis to halt sporadic fighting that has displaced 350,000 people since 2005.

"Despite the halting of military operations more than four months ago and the Houthis committing to the truce, they have been avoiding the full implementation of the six terms..." an official overseeing the truce told Saba News.The official called on the Houthis to stop procrastinating and commit themselves to the agreed terms of the truce.Friday rebels attacked the home of a pro-government tribal leader, killing three people.

The ceasefire has largely held but the instability still threatens Yemen's neighbor, top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which was briefly drawn into the war last year when rebels seized Saudi border areas.

The Houthis complain of religious and socioeconomic discrimination by the government.Yemen has faced international pressure to quell its domestic conflicts, including an increasingly violent secessionist movement in the south, and to combat a resurgent al Qaeda wing in the country.